Interview: Author Eric S. Brown

Interview by Jessica A. Weiss

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with us, Eric.

I guess the biggest thing for you now is December 2010. You have four books coming out, one of them being “War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts, and Zombies” to be released by Simon and Schuster. Tell us about them. Is there any order in which we should read these, any of them tied together?

Only two of the four are related. Those being The Human Experiment from Sonar 4 Publications and Anti-Heroes from Library of the Living Dead Press. Both of them feature my superhero Agent Death. The Human Experiment is his origin novel and Anti-Heroes is his second adventure where he battles zombies in North Carolina. The other book aside from War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies from Simon and Schuster is Martin Kier and the Dead. It's a sequel to the title novella in Permuted Press's Season of Rot. Martin Kier and the Dead picks up right where Season of Rot left off and pits Martin, a bio-engineered super soldier, against an entire city of zombies.

You have many books and anthology credits to your name, and in a short amount of time. How does it feel to have come so far and achieved so much?

I don't know. I am always looking ahead rather than back. I mean I still get down like every writer wondering if I have done enough or worrying if my books are moving enough but I try to lose myself in work rather than think about it. Currently, I am hard at work on my Bigfoot War trilogy which will be masterpiece of fan born fiction and something I have wanted to write since I picked up the pen.

I first heard of you when “How The West Went To Hell” was released by Pill Hill Press. You also did “Kinberra Down” with co-author Jessy Marie Roberts, which I was privileged to be a pre-reader for. How was co-authorship versus being the sole author of a novel? Is it something that you would do again?

It's something I do a LOT. Dr. Kim Paffenroth (Dying to Live, Gospel of the Living Dead) jokes with me a lot that I am the co-author of everything. I have done Anti-Heroes with David Dunwoody, Kinberra Down with Jessy Roberts, Barren Earth with Stephen North, Blood Rain with Gail Davis- it just goes on and on especially if you dig into my short fiction. I really enjoy working with others but overall I do prefer to work alone.

Speaking of “Kinberra Down”, I enjoyed it very much and want to know if there are more alien cats in the future?

I get asked to write more about that race cat aliens a good bit. At this time, I have no plans to explore them further. I love SF but I would much rather be writing zombies, superheroes, and Bigfoot.

You enjoy superhero things, Shakespeare, and watching “House”. Are these your escape from zombies or do they inspire characters and story scenes? (Great choice in watching “Castle”, too.)

Stargate Atlantis is my all time favorite show in existence. I LOVED it and mourn it everyday. My escape from writing is mostly comics. I read The Flash, Birds of Prey, Doom Patrol and The Legion of Superheroes monthly as well as any event storylines, TPBs, or other impulse buys that I stumble into at the comic shop. Comic shops and my wallet do NOT get along or perhaps it's that do get along too well. I have been a comic geek since age four and would give just about anything to write for DC Comics. And yes, sometimes comics do inspire me. I credit Weird War Tales as one of my very first exposures to horror that made me love it.

To quote you, “Zombies are the modern monster”. You believe they fit better into our current under crisis society than vampires and werewolves. Why?

They can represent so many things from the fear of losing one's identity to the fear of people in general in our overcrowded and crazy world to simply a fear of death. Zombies are often born of a virus and that just fits our current age perfectly.

You’ve mentioned two zombie types: Romero (scientifically generated) and Haitian types seen in “The Serpent and The Rainbow”. Do you have a preference or would you consider your zombies a different type entirely?

I HATE Haitian zombies. Can't stand them. To me, a Z tale isn't a Z tale if it's not about the end of the world and the fall of civilization.

In several previous interviews, the “Great Collaboration Novel” has been mentioned. Legally I can’t ask, by title, about this project we were both part of, but I would like to know how you felt about writing with 15 other authors. Would you consider ever taking on something that huge again?

It was fun and crazy. I would totally do it again. I am sure my military chapters threw some of the other writers for a loop but what can I say, I am military horror author in my soul.

You have a Best Of collection—“Unabridged, Unabashed, and Undead: The Best of Eric S. Brown. Is it available in print and ebook? I’d like to get a copy.

Yep, it's available in both print and Kindle on Amazon as well both formats at other retailers too. It's a collection of 47 zombie short stories from the early days of my career. It's got a bit of everything from traditional zombies to zombies battling superheroes to zombie chickens and even zombies in space.

You have now worked with several small press’ and a mainstream publisher. Do you have a preference? What do you find most beneficial in each of these? What is the single worst drawback?

Mainstream is better money but sometimes “indie” is more fun. It just depends on the project.

Once these four books are out in December, what is your most pressing project coming up next?

The Weaponer, my masterpiece in terms of crazy zombie fiction will soon be out from Coscom Entertainment. Peter Clines of Exheroes described it as “Shane” meets “Mad Max” in a zombie filled world after reading an advance copy. It's a post apocalyptic zombie western. Seriously. As to what I am working on, it's my Bigfoot War trilogy. I am trying to finish the second book now which will be much longer and perhaps even more original than the first.

What does your family think of all the hubbub you’ve stirred up with your zombies?

My family thinks it's pretty amazing actually. Many of them can remember when I was just a teenager who claimed he wanted to write someday. Now, they're like “Wow, look at how far you've come? You can walk down the street here and get recognized!” My wife believed in me before anyone else ever did and is seeing that faith realized. My five year old son often tells people “My daddy writes about zombies”. So everyone is very supportive and I am really blessed.

How can readers, fans, and stalkers find and/or contact you?

I am on facebook daily. That's the best place to track me down and stay in touch with my projects.

Again, Thank you for your time.

About Jessica A. Weiss

Owner and Editor-in-chief of Wicked East Press (www.wickedeastpress.com) and short story author. You can keep up to date with her blog (thewriterssideofthelookingglass.blogspot.com) or email questions to her at jaweiss@wickedeastpress.com.